Improvement in tag-fasteners



T. P. MARSTON. Tag-Fasteners.

No. 216,798. Patented June 24,1879.

S hm/I E Nl WM i N. PETERS, PHD

UNITED STATES PATENT QFFIGE.

THOMAS P. MARSTON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO PH. HAKE, OF HOBOKEN, N. J.

IM PROVE-M E NT IN TAG-FASTENERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 216,798, dated June 24, 1879; application filed January 23, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS P. MARSTON, of New York city, in the State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements relating to Tag- Fastenings, of which the following is a specification.

I insert through the tag, preferably near one end, a staple of wire or analogous material with pointed ends. The wire is peculiarly bent, so that it will not only be stiffly supported in position, but also be retained or locked against removal. The locking is effected by an offset in the wire. I prefer to make the offset in both branches or arms of the staple.

The accompanying drawings form part of this specification, and represent what I consider the best form of the invention with several modifications.

Figure l is a plan view, and Fig. 2 a crossseetion through the tag on alarge scale. Fig. 3 illustrates the fastening-wire in a side view on a smaller scale.

Similar letters of reference indicate correspondin g parts in all the figures.

A is the body of the tag, made of cardboard,

parchment, or other ordinary or suitable material. The several parts of the fasteningstaple are indicated by B B B The fastening-staples may be made by machinery and inserted in the tags either by hand or by machines.

The body B of each stapleis bent backward and forward on a horizontal plane, as shown, so that when applied against the outer face of the tag it holds the staples firmly against any tilting or rocking motion 13 B are the olfsets. B B are the arms.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 3 the offsets are made in such direction that the arms are wider apart than the length of the body B.

It is important that the offsets present a sufficient quantity of the wire from which the staple is formed in such position as to lock the material of the staple after it is forced through the tag A. o

In securing the staple to the tag, the staple is first put through the tag plain, either making its own holes, or having holes previously prepared by hand or by machinery. This may depend on the thickness and hardness of the material A. After the prongs in a straight condition have been forced through to their full extent, any suitable appliance (as a pair of pliers) may be opened between them on the wrong side to force them apart close to the back of the card A, any suitable confining means (as an inclosing-ring) being applied to hold the points of the arms and prevent their being deflected by the operation. This will form the shoulders or offsets, and care being taken to leave the parts B beyond the shoulders in a parallel or approximately parallel condition, the tag with its fastener is complete and ready for use.

In-such kinds of material for the card A as possess considerable elasticity, I can apply my fasteners with the shoulders B previously formed.

The tag A, being soft, will yield to allow the fastener B B B to be inserted and forced home. In the act of being forced in, the shoulders B B, which should for this purposebe considerably inclined, are forced into and through the soft material of thetag A, and the hole partly closes again, so that the fastener is locked by the shoulders 13 against being easily withdrawn.

It will be understood that the use of the prongs -or pointed arms B is to engage the tag with any suitable cloth or other material to which the tag is to be fastened.

My invention in no wise interferes with the insertion of the arms through any suitable cloth or the bending of the points to engage them permanently therewith.

In many materials the body of the tag A will contract or expand to allow the shoulders to pass, and the hole produced by the fasten= ing need be little, if any, greater than the size required to thrust through the arm; yet the tag will, by its softness and elasticity, change its form sufficiently after the fastener is forced home to cause the fastener to be locked by the shoulders B B.

One shoulder alone may serve. I prefer two, as shown.

apply them to the tags at a single operation by machinery, and am experimenting for that purpose.

In my machine each fastener has its offsets or shoulders formed partly before and partly after the fastener is set in the tag.

The Wire B is bent, as shown, between the offsets B so that it applies against the face of the tag over a broad surface distributed on both sides of the central line indicated in Fig. l by a dotted line, m. This, with the shoulders B, to hold the arms B engaged, attains a high degree of stiffness in the holding of the fastener.

I claim as my invention- A tag-fastener constructed of Wire, having two pointed arms, B adapted to be held rigidly at right angles with the tag by means of the shoulders 13, and having lateral bends 011 both sides of the central line, on, as herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 22d (lay of January, 1879, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS P. MARSTON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES C. STETSON, EDWARD D. STAFFORD. 

